Following the mediocre success of the film Stargate, starring Kurt Russell and James Spader, the telemovie and television series Stargate SG-1 was born, far outweighing the success of its predecessor.
The story of the Stargate is that many teams are formed to explore other worlds in an effort to further the development of humanity, the primary team being SG-1. Teams navigate their way to other worlds by means of a circular device, known as the Stargate. The teams are under the control of General Hammond who heads SGC, Stargate Control. Lead by Colonel Jack O’Neill, SG-1 consists of scientist Samantha Carter, historian and linguistic specialist Daniel Jackson, and alien Jaffa Teal’c. They are a strange combination of brain and brawn that work remarkably well together.
Most viewers are familiar with the show to some extent, however there are a few that were put off ever watching, primarily because of the star Richard Dean Anderson and his previous exploits as McGyver. I myself was in this category until I stumbled across the show one day when there was nothing else of note to watch and I was pleasantly surprised. Anderson is a driving force behind this series and his humour shines through, as does his perfect casting in the role.
Stargate SG-1 - Volume 12 contains four episodes from the third season of the hit television series. Each episode runs for approximately 42 minutes and can be watched independently or continuously. A brief synopsis of each episode follows.
A Hundred Days
The SG-1 crew is on the planet Edora in an effort to acquire the mineral Naqahdah, which is found in abundance on this planet and is crucial to the operation of the Stargate. Laira, One of the locals, who has taken a liking to O’Neill, shows the crew the annual skyshow, in essence a meteor shower. Every year it occurs and every year it gets closer, dumping debris on the planet.
The SG-1 team is forced to evacuate the locals back to Earth until the danger has passed, those that will go that is. During the evacuation, Laira realises her son is missing and races off to look for him. O’Neill follows her and orders the rest of the team back to SGC, leaving him trapped on Edora. The gate is now buried and the likelihood of O’Neill ever seeing Earth again is remote.
Shades Of Grey
The SG-1 team travel to the planet Tollana to negotiate a trade with the people that they had earlier saved from the Goa’uld, in an effort to exchange technology. When the Tollans refuse to give them technology to make advanced weaponry, they decide to leave and end negotiations. The others team members are stunned at O’Neill’s aggressive and agitated behaviour, especially when he steals a device on the way out.
For his earlier indiscretions, General Hammond forces O’Neill into early retirement, due to pressure put on by the Tollans who threaten to severe ties with Earth.
The SG-1 team is put under the command of Colonel Makepeace and upon hearing of his earlier theft, Colonel Maybourne visits O’Neill to make him an offer he can’t refuse.
New Ground
While digging through rubble, two locals on planet P2X-416 uncover a Stargate. The computer program back at SGC picks up the new Stargate and locks in on its location, SG-1 is of course sent to investigate this new planet.
Upon their arrival, they discover there is a war raging between the Bedrosians and the Optricans, based on their beliefs as to how their planet was created. The Oprticans believe that aliens brought them there via the Stargate as slaves, whereas the Bedrosians believe that their God Nefertum was their creator.
The SG-1 team are captured by Bedrosian law enforcers and held for questioning. Teal’c manages to escape but is injured, becoming blind in the process. Local scientist Nyan, helps Teal’c to recover with the goal of an attempted rescue of the SG-1 team.
Maternal Instinct
Bra’tac arrives at SGC after Chulak, home planet of himself and Teal’c has been attacked by Apophis. Apophis had been there looking for something, it is said that something was in the form of the child Harsesis. The child is said to be the son of Apophis and holds the knowledge of the Goa’uld. In the wrong hands he could be the undoing of the Goa’uld empire.
The SGC deduct the most likely location of the planet Kheb, said to be the place where Harsesis is being kept. The SG-1 team heads for Kheb and hope they get there before Apophis.
Overall these four episodes are very enjoyable ones. The varying stories are pretty much what this show is all about, showing terrific diversity and adaptability. This disc is possibly not the best place for newcomers to start viewing this series, as the established theme lines may baffle some. The presentation is of a very high standard compared to most shows on television and a nice although small package of extras make this well worth a look.
Fans of Stargate SG-1 will no doubt buy this regardless of what anyone tells them, others that may only have a passing interest in the series will simply have to make the choice as to their preferred episodes. The four episodes available on this release are all very good ones and I found it truly enjoyable to watch them again. Having these episodes in 1.78:1 and 16x9 enhanced, plus the DD 5.1 track makes this a great DVD for me. The only down side to this release is whether to buy it now or wait in case they put out a box set later on. Although the fourth episode here is not a “to be continued” one, the need is there to purchase Volume 13 to finish off season three.
Overall, for fans of the show this is a great buy or at least rental. For others, it may not be best to start watching this show from the end of season three, but the good thing about Stargate SG-1 is that each episode is a mini film in its own right, you just may get confused with the references to aliens from earlier episodes. The strong elements for this show are the wonderful humour, the chemistry between the main characters and, most importantly, how good it looks. This assortment of episodes is definitely worthy of any collection.